A teenager who says she was attacked by a group of jealous girls who apparently envied her academic success said yesterday she feared returning to school and facing the bullies again. Police are investigating the alleged assault on Danielle Price, who was treated in hospital for facial injuries after the incident at Llangatwg comprehensive in Neath, south Wales.

Another 15-year-old girl has been suspended from lessons for a week and was due to return to school yesterday, but both Danielle and her mother have expressed concerns about the severity of the punishment. "I am really worried about going back to school," Danielle said. "The girl who attacked me is back after a five-day suspension." The school said it had taken appropriate action.

The attack comes a week after 15-year-old Natashia Jackman was assaulted with a pair of scissors at Collingwood College in Camberley, Surrey. And last month Shanni Naylor, 12, needed 30 stitches to her face after she was slashed with a pencil sharpener blade during a lesson at her school in Sheffield.

Yesterday, the newly appointed children's commissioner, Al Aynsley-Green, blamed an increasingly violent society for the rising incidence of bullying in schools. He said that there was still a lot of denial about the extent of the problem.

Danielle's mother, Viv Price, a hospital support worker, is worried that her daughter will have to face her attacker. "I don't want Danielle to miss lessons but the girl should be off for longer," she said. "Otherwise it is telling the child if you beat someone up you can have a week off school. She's back there now like she's done nothing at all."

But Ms Price said that the school had responded well to the incident and she was sure they would do all they could to protect her daughter. "You send your child to school expecting them to be safe but this was shocking," she added. "It can only have been caused by jealousy because Danielle won [academic] awards."

The attack is said to have taken place during a morning break when Danielle was celebrating being presented with achievement awards for German and humanities in assembly. After the ceremony, she was lured over by a group of girls. She says that she was jumped on from behind and hit in the face by one of the girls.

Danielle went to hospital where her split eyelid was glued together and she received treatment for cuts to her face. Her nose was bleeding and she had swelling around her eyes.

The school's headteacher, Roger Skilton, said: "I am aware of the situation but I cannot comment on individual pupils. Appropriate action has been taken." Inspector Stuart Lewis, of South Wales police, said: "It is being treated as as a criminal investigation and inquiries are being made into the alleged assault."

According to a new survey for the Anti-Bullying Alliance, 52% of children and young people say bullying is a big problem. More than 500 seven to 19-year-olds were consulted ahead of national Anti-Bullying Week next week (21-25 November). "We know that many schools are doing their best to address bullying, but as recent incidents show, this is still not good enough," said Vanessa Cooper, coordinator of the Anti-Bullying Alliance.

Lindsey Gilbert, the head of ChildLine in Partnership with Schools, said bullying was the single biggest reason for children phoning ChildLine.